Rotary deep-well boring and coring apparatus



'N w.22,1921. 1,649,s5s C. E. REED ROTARY DEEP WELL BRING AND CORING APPARATUS' Filed April 9, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f a 6- V f BN 'U I f 1 f l 8/ I 6 Fig 23.

' INVENTOR- Pat en ted' Nov. 22, 1921.

. UNITED STATES summer: n.: aun, or'wrom'ra, Kansas, I Borisav mine-wam. noame .mn conme umirem;

PA-TEN-r -appncauonlmed vii1m1.e,.1eae; srai m. 100.920.

This inventionrelates to rotaryl deep well;

boring and coring apparatus.

It is commonvpractice-in rotary wells of 3,000'to 4,000' feet. depth-and 10 inches or 11 inchesVV in diameter, .to .use -ahollow pipe drill stem, vofv either 5 inches -orr 6' inches inv diameter, and'experiencehas shown-:that in deep wells 'im so-called hard` earth forma-4 t-ion, the Y heretofore known corebits I havefisufiicient lateral'movement, due to thegreatl depth and v`the flexibility of the drill'vstem to wobble in the hole they make enough to reduce the diameter ofthecore, if an left, Standing somuchflthat core lifting evices will not recover the-core. In. 11 inch cutting diameterbits, not'infrequently the core is reducedthree-fourths of an inch by bits whose innercutting edges are spaced apartzr plane of the main cutters grouped orspacedA about the mouth of the core barrel, andthese are successivel used in` so-called'soft earth formations w ere the penetration of the strata' by the tool'is rapid under the weight imposed. But where'the formationsis hard enough 4to slow up the penetration 'of the strata by the tool, the bit grinds about, wobbling in its own hole .enough to destroy the core or reduce the diameter of the core so much that the ore lfters within the core bit cannot obtain hold enough to recover the core,`if one is left Standing. Such bits em- 'ploying sleeves have a cutting edge to trim the core to the diameter of the mouth of 'nates the friction that such sleeves or their equivalent set up. -This friction is knownv to be so great in blade or scrape type cutters, thatr the friction sometimes fuses even the metal and often burns the core tol a slag, making worthless the Sample of the formation 'recovered In addition to thebroader objects of this invention, there arev details of construction fe andv of no' wherebyfan fefiicientand idurable :structure is I obtainecl for rapidly` penet-rating' thev sofcalled 1 hardv formations and; meansV for; de-V livery of circulation fluid are provided.V with i the vopening so .Jplacedr that* the`l cuttingsz areV carried l away wlthoutf washing; the-` core.:

- These, w. and`` other-'objectsandl advantagee, .will more clearlyz appearfrom;the-zdescril tion of lmy invention` which is;i1lustratedf1n the accompan ing; drawings, in i which:

"Fig.- 1 isaottomdplan` viewlookin ,up-

ward at" the lowe'rlen tary cutters in place.

offthe head, wi ro- Fig; 2 isa Vsectionalviewof. IFig.r lion-line- 2-2 thereof. Y

Referringmore particularly tov thed'raw'- ings, l-indicates the annularzheadofthe,apparatus Vwhich visy thread'ed at. i ts rupper end for connection to the usual hollow i e drill' stem, servin to rotate the head nuditthreads are provided to:v receive thelower end of a tube (not shown),.which tube receives and protects the core from the flush- 'ing fluid in 'the 'usual manner. Below the threads-within the boreis Vshown anannular core lifter 2 with grips 2'iandf2.

Rotary cutters 3y and Iimake anannularg'roove around -a core-which: tends to risev at the center of the bore hole.

5 is the mouth of the core barrel.

6 indicates the metal of the bit head projectin downward surrounding the mouth 5 of t e core barreland occupying the s ace between the radius of the bore of the ead and the inner edge 7 of the cutter 4; Heretofore, it has been thou ht necessary -and all core barrels known to vt e trade have been built with the inner cuttin ,edge in line-with the bore or over-lapping t 'e same.

, rough; which circu ating fluidy is supplied; to flushv out the bore hole. Within the annularwhead" One of the primary objectsof this invention is to provide'an apparatus which willr -make hole as rapidly asjpossible* inhard formation, in which the bit wobblesyin'` its own'hole. The arrangementof metal of: the

bit head as shown at 6, compensates for the wobble of the head and prevents theinner:

the diameter e f core lifters cutting edge 7 from reduc' ofthe core so muchA that ti cannot obtain a grip. There'is no way'to prevent thewobble of the head.: This m-.r b

vention compensates fore the wobble.. The` mouth of the core barrel lbeing-inv ahorizontal plane substantially the same. as ther root of the teethfonthe cutter, permite I i 1 without bringing the metal at 6- into jf tendbelow the -plane of cutter to disinterate the material in an ,an-

e bot-tom of the bore hole of the bit head friction contact 'with thev bottom, of the bore hole. 4Where sleeves,-such' as new commonlytused, are emplo ed,-`the sleeves exe cuttersfdescribnular path at t ing an annular path about the'coregand have 1u` 'vided either with a cutting edge or 'cutting heavy fric'tionl contact with the. ott'om of' thefhole; Such sleeves are' umversally proteeth, andhave "for 'their mam object-the ,taking of a Sample infadvancev of 'the'main A ass throu h `find the wl I m, these -ggtersjatazpomt near the u z so that the li luid, upon ex1t, starts upward in the jwell,l without. impinging at the bottom ef v thev hole; f

J.,f rrangement further assists yin tak-' alimgfanzuncontaminated sample of the bottom ,oftheh'ole by the distribution .of the,

'circulationj fluid and the outlets 1provide a -the apparatus in e cutters m Sticky formations and 'prevent sticking the-bore hole.

' 4" are teeth on the rotary. cutter 4:.V 4 is a removable bearing and retaining member cient means of washing 1 on the portion of the -bit head 1' supporting 'longitudinal axis o the cutter 4. I z

' Having thus described the preferred form of my invention, I do not w1sh it to be un- ,derstood that m invention is limited to the exact, detailed cscription and illustrations,

since it is obvious'that changes may be made ther'ein without departing from 'the spirit .of the invent'ion, as for instance: blade type cutters'm'ay be' used in 4ythe formatons to which they areadapted instead of the rotary cutters shown, the inner edge of the blade type cutter being s aced further from the the head than the di,- ameter of the bore therethrough, the mouth of the bore being in substantially the same horizontal plane.`

What I .claim is:

. 1. 'In combination in a rotary deep well core bit, a head having a bore to receive 'the core, core lifting means,jcutting means for penetrating the earth formation to form a core,'the cutting edges of which means are spaced further away from the vertical axis of the head than the radius of .the bore therein, said head havin a non-cutting plan surface area surroun in the mouth of the bore, intermediate said ore and the inner f zcompletely snr oun'ding 1 the' cim-listing fluid winthejheadbetween the core tubev will pass downward 'through ery vof the head netacno edgeof' the cutting means, and extendin in' substantiall the same horizontal plane in which the adjacent in substantiall 'the same horizontalplane' as the root \o' 4the lteeth of the innermost ortion of; the cutting means 11es,substantia 1 asfdeecribed.

edge 'of the cutter, said plan'v surface. area the core' bore.- 3. Appaggitus' accor ngto claim 1- in Which the eutting meansconsists of rotary cutters andzthe'head is provided with flushing',1j fluid pa'ssages 'extending through the heapfand opening adjacent the cutters. Ap aratus according to claim '1, in

4. which t `e said narrow non-cutting area is in. a horizontal lane above the plane of the cuttin' teeth, than t e root of the said cutting teeth.

5. InV combination in a rotary 'deep well co'rng apparatus, an annular head, rotary cutters spaced about the-outside of one end of the head in pocketsthat incline upwardly and inwardly, and another pocket in the samev end to receive a cutter whose axis is in a plane at right anglles. to the longitudinal axis of the head, t e said cutter being carried by a spindle integral with and projectin'g outwardly from a bod portion surrounding the bore through the head, said ut substantially no higherbody portion from which the integral s indle projects presentinga non-cutting ain surface area surroundlng the mouth o the bore and `intermediate said boreand the inner edge of the cutter on said spindle, said plair` surface extending in substantially the same horizontal plane in vwhich the adja- 'cent portion of the said cutter lies, substantially as described;

6. In combination in a rotary deep well outward from t ebody intersectin the axes of the first mentioned' cutters at t e periphery of bit head, the cutter on the said spindle trimmin the core that tends to rise atth'e center o the hole, said body portion from which the integral s indle projects presenting'a non-cutting p ain surface area surroundin the mouth of the bore and intermediate sai bore and the inner edge of the cutter on said spindle, said plan surface 'extending in substantially the same horizontal plane in which the adjacent portion of the said cutter lies, substantially as described.

7. In combination in a rotary deep well 1:0

70 which said non-cutting 'plan surface area is l drilling bit, a head, rotar cutters spaced about the outer portion ofyone end of the head, the axes of the cutters inclinin down- Ward and inward, the-tooth edges o cutters making an annular groove about the bottom of the bore hole, another cutter in the same end, a spindle for said last named cutter inte ral with and projecting outward from the ody metal surrounding the lon itudinal axis of the head, the axis of sai spindle being in a-plane-radial to the longitudinal axis of the head and below a plane intersecting the axes of the first mentioned cut-,ters at the perphery of the bit head, the cutter making clearapce for the inner bearings of the first mentioned cutters, the innermost cuttin edges trimming the core that tends to rise at the center of the hole, said edges not overlapping the bore of bit head.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the cutting means includes a rotary cutter member and the 'head has a horizontal s indle integral with and extending outwar ly from the wall of the head surrounding the bore and rising from the said noncutting narrow plain surface area.

In testimony Whereof, I afiix'my signature.

CLARENCE E. REED. 

